➻ one | introduction to 1960s vernacular

[unwheeled]

[Have a video, Poly! Done in a rather typical sort of videoblogger format, although the man looking into the camera doesn't seem too certain that it's recording. Instead he peers at the screen for several seconds before moving his eyes to the upper right hand corner and...]

Oh! It is on.  [Whoops. Self-conscious hair smoothing fidgeting happens. Also Charles' accent is some bizarre amalgamation of Queen's English and high society New York.] Ah-heh. Anyway: hello and good evening, denizens of the City! Some of you I've spoken to already, and the majority of you I surely haven't, but I just arrived today and I wished to make certain that I am properly understanding the predicament that we are all in for the length of our stay. Thus...

[He begins to tick things off on on his fingers.]

• We are all trapped within the confines of an island, in a City literally called 'The City', run by "gods" who, while not terribly creative on the naming of locations front, have other much groovier ideas, including but not limited to:
• Curses, or events in which people find themselves suffering from any matter of unwitting statuses, including but not limited to rapid aging or age regression (complete with amnesia), waking up with one's body changed to the opposite gender, and being constantly followed by an animal familiar or companion.
• However, the City does have several social programs and the residents, despite not coming here of their own volition, are expected to contribute to the economy by either working or opening their own business.
• Along that same vein, there is a coin system here that appears to be roughly in base-5 and despite the fact that there is no guarantee a business' debtors will still be here in a month, all businesses will allow you to purchase items on credit until you do find employment.
• The Academy will hire you as an instructor on as little as your own word and several, rather basic, written tests on the Sciences. [Smirk.]
• Several of you have been here for quite a long while, meaning a year or more and:
• Several of you are possessing superhuman or mutant abilities.
• We have no control over when we leave or arrive; however we are returned to the moment that we left and may return here with partial memory of our prior stay.
• Everyone who spends time alone is affected by the same aural hallucination after several hours.
• The subway system induces fits of hysteria.

[Ten items, ten fingers!]

Is there anything I've missed? Other than the undead construction workers currently beyond the city limits, anyway. 

Oh! Other than introducing myself, which I suspect is only polite: my name is Charles Xavier and while teaching is my calling, helping other people reach their full potential, specifically in the case of powers and abilities, is my passion. 

It's nice to meet you...all. [Such a cocky smile, really.]

Comments

[unwheeled]

No, I'm a professor. Which is like a librarian, I suppose.

[eiremagic]

Of what?

[unwheeled]

Genetics, but I'm...adaptable. The Academy hired me on to teach biology.

[eiremagic]

I don't know if that many people spend time there.

[unwheeled]

No, they warned me of that, but it will still pay the rent.

What do you do, Eden?

[eiremagic]

I'm a phlebotomist.

[unwheeled]

I'm told there's a hospital; do you work there or are you a private practitioner?

[eiremagic]

I work at the hospital.

[unwheeled]

Hopefully there isn't very much for you to do on a regular basis.

[eiremagic]

You'd be wrong.

[unwheeled]

Well. A man can hope. Even if those hopes are dashed to the ground.

How long have you been here?

[eiremagic]

[She pauses]

Not sure I should tell you that, boyo.

You might get discouraged.

[unwheeled]

[Shaking his head.]

With my infallible optimism, it is unlikely.

[eiremagic]

Five years, next month.

[unwheeled]

[Charles' eyebrows go up.] That's impressive. The longest I'd heard thus far had been a year, roughly.

[He thinks for a moment, expression going considerate.] Is it more exhausting remaining away from where you'd come from for so long or seeing so many people come and go?

[eiremagic]

Yeah, well.

You like asking the hard questions.

[unwheeled]

I'm sorry if that was rude. Can I make it up to you?

[eiremagic]

That depends on the offer.

[unwheeled]

I don't know you well enough to make an appropriate one; lady's choice?

[eiremagic]

I'm off work at six, me boyfriend doesn't get home until two, so I've nothing to do until then. Meet you at the Coliseum, round about seven.

You can buy me a pint.

[unwheeled]

Then I will see you at 7, Eden. Thank you.

[eiremagic]

[She's waiting at the bar, a slip of a girl, barely five feet tall, her legs swinging from the counter. She's dressed in trousers and a long-sleeved shirt - her coat and hat are on the coatrack at the door.

She doesn't have a drink yet but she's flipping through a copy of a thick medical tome to pass the time]

[unwheeled]

[ He shows up before seven; it's not like Charles has any other obligations tonight, so he might as well try and make...a better impression than he managed the first time.

A know-it-all (even a tan one) he can manage being, but insensitive isn't quite the same. He needs to be better with that sort of thing.

The only difference between Charles on video and Charles in person this evening is a jacket, and the fact that he's not really that tall at all. People always seem surprised by it, anyway. He sits down next to her with a smile.]

Nice to meet you in person, Eden. Hope you weren't waiting long.

[eiremagic]

[She closes the book and looks him up and down, and gives a half-grin]

Not long at all. I got dinner before I came.

[She leans over and orders a couple of beers, and then sits back down]

You're not as tall as I thought.

[unwheeled]

[Charles raises an eyebrow; Eden has a distinctly other sort of tone to her, but he isn't sure what it is or what it means. Back home: mutant. Here? Apparently there's more than just one category.

Besides he'd already managed one social mess with her this evening, so he isn't going to ask.]

I have a friend a bit taller than I am. [Charles raises his hand roughly to Erik's height.] It's always amusing watching people watch us walk into a room.